Passengers stuck on airplane nearly 3 hours during Florida storms

ORLANDO, Fla. – Hundreds of travelers were stranded at the Orlando and Jacksonville airports -- some for nearly three hours aboard an plane -- as severe weather disrupted flights across the Southeast.

More than two dozen flights were canceled at OIA on Sunday and Monday, which left row after row of unclaimed bags.

"There were so many canceled flights and missed connections that the baggage claim was completely backed up with all the stuff that had to come back off the planes," traveler Chris Barnes said.

Some passengers said their canceled flight left them with no choice but to spend the night at the airport.

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"This has been a disaster," Tiffany Fyfe said. "I've been stuck here in this airport since 2 p.m. (Sunday)."

Brett Fitzgerald said his flight was bound for Orlando but was rerouted to Jacksonville when the storms moved in.

"It was like two hours and 45 minutes until they even let us off the plane," Fitzgerald said.  "It was easily one of the worst days of my life."

With more rain in Monday's forecast, airport officials said lingering delays are possible as airline operations get back to normal.

Travelers were encouraged to contact their airline for flight and baggage updates.

Watch News 6 and stay with ClickOrlando.com for updates.